
Gravesend RNLI crew member Fiona shines the light on female lifeboat crew
Gravesend lifeboat crew member Fi visited a local Brownie group, coinciding with the RNLI's 200th birthday and upcoming International Women's Day on the 8 March, and provided a great opportunity to demonstrate that anyone can be a lifesaver.
Fi Trent, who has volunteered as a lifeboat crew member for Gravesend RNLI for over four years, said, ‘It was great to share the RNLI message and show that women can be lifesavers too, especially on the RNLI’s 200th birthday and with International Women’s Day coming up.
‘When the RNLI was created 200 years ago, women’s roles in the RNLI were very different. Over the last two centuries, that has changed hugely. Now, 200 years later, I was lucky enough to speak to these young girls as a lifeboat crew member about the important work we do to save lives at sea and on the Thames’.
During her visit to the 1st Riverview Brownies group for girls aged 7 to 10, Fi talked about what the RNLI do and how we do it, the RNLI lifeboat stations on the River Thames, and did a demonstration of her lifeboat crew kit.
The Brownie unit’s “brown owl” (group leader) Julie Crocker said, ‘We were delighted to have Fi, along with other awesome women, come along and tell our Brownies that they really can do anything they want’.
Fi added, ‘It was a brilliant opportunity to show young girls that women are making a big impact across traditionally male roles, and that the RNLI is for everyone’.
Notes to Editor
Gravesend is one of the RNLI’s newest lifeboat stations and one of four lifeboat stations operating on the River Thames – the first stations to specifically cover a river rather than estuarial waters or the sea.
Our lifeboat is Olive Laura Deare II, an Atlantic 85 B class inshore lifeboat, which is one of the fastest types in the fleet.
RNLI Media Contacts
For further information, please contact:
Helena Lane, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Gravesend RNLI on 01474 328 465 or email [email protected]
Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager – SE & London, RNLI 07724 801305 [email protected]
RNLI Press Office on 01202 336 789 or email [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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